$50/Hour

University of California-Santa Cruz

Philosophy

Education

University of California-Santa Cruz (Philosophy)

About Michael

Hi, I'm Mike. I've been a professional tutor since September of 2011, teaching English and mathematics to children from third to eighth grade and test prep, composition, comprehension, and mathematics (through pre-calculus) and organization and study skills to high school and college students. I specialize in helping academically frustrated students. Whether you are a fifth grader with a learning difference who's never excelled and can't even imagine being an A student or you're a freshman who was always at the top of your class but just can't seem to 'get' college-level composition, I'm here to help you.

My method relies on close observation and diagnosis. I'll help you identify where your strengths and weaknesses are and find any specific problems with your understanding of the material. Then, we'll break your problem areas down into simple steps and walk through their applications. Finally, we'll reinforce your new skills while challenging you to apply your skill set to ever more subtle and challenging applications. I believe that there's nothing you can't learn. After working with me, you'll believe it too.

Many of my students were referred to me through federally-funded free tutoring. To accept these funds, I was required to administer standardized tests to the students before and after tutoring. Those students who completed a 12-19 hour course of tutoring universally improved their scores, most by more than an entire grade level! That's a whole grade level of improvement over the course of 6-10 weeks! I get results.Hi, I'm Mike. I've been a professional tutor since September of 2011, teaching English and mathematics to children from third to eighth grade and test prep, composition, comprehension, and mathematics (through pre-calculus) and organization and study skills to high school and college students. I specialize in helping academically frustrated…Read more

Policies

Cancellation

24 hours notice required

Travel Radius

Travels within 15 miles of Oakland, CA 94607

In-person lessons

"Thank you"

- Kate, San Leandro, CA on 3/6/15

Michael, thanks so much for helping with Chris's vocabulary preparation for the SAT. He feels very confident because of the lessons you and he have had. He says you are very smart, and he likes the way you've helped steer his instruction. Thanks again.

"Excellent in focusing on strategies student can develop to really learn material."

- Stanley, San Francisco, CA on 2/9/15

Michael is an excellent tutor in that he focuses on strategies the student can learn to use to master the material. He helped our son to study the problem at hand in a systematic way.

"Simply the Best"

- Angela, Berkeley, CA on 2/24/14

Hi Michael,

My son is feeling for the first time this semester that he can finish up the semester strong. He told me that you were "brilliant." I wish you could go back to College with him as he preps for his exams. I cannot thank you enough for helping Nick to get caught up with his Logic homework.

Michael continues to be the best teacher (tutor) my son has ever had. Working with Michael is giving my son the confidence he needs to tackle any academic assignment, no matter the subject.

Approved subjects

In most cases, tutors gain approval in a subject by passing a proficiency exam. For some subject areas, like music and art, tutors submit written requests to demonstrate their proficiency to potential students. If a tutor is interested but not yet approved in a subject, the subject will appear in non-bold font. Tutors need to be approved in a subject prior to beginning lessons.

Algebra 1

I am proficient in all major facets of algebra 1, including plotting points and graphing linear equations; solving systems of equations; factoring polynomials; exponent rules; order of operations and so on. I have taught students at all levels of competency and comfort with these concepts.

Logic

I have years of experience tutoring, including tutoring philosophy. I also received an A+ in my introduction to formal logic course, a score that required me to earn a curved score above 100%. I have an intuitive and comprehensive understanding of Semantic, Syntactic, and Predicate logic as well as significant experience with Modal logic.

Philosophy

I earned a B.A. in Philosophy (Cum Laude) from the University of California-Santa Cruz. During that time, I served as an Undergraduate Tutor. In that role, I led a discussion group of 5-15 people through a first course in Philosophy of Science. I also trained my students in composing well-written philosophy papers.

Study Skills

I currently teach Executive Functioning (organizational and study skills) through a tutoring agency that I work with. Besides my experience directly tutoring it, I have received approximately 10 hours of direct training in this area from a tutor/mentor.

University of California-Santa Cruz

Philosophy

Education

University of California-Santa Cruz (Philosophy)

Thank you

Michael, thanks so much for helping with Chris's vocabulary preparation for the SAT. He feels very confident because of the lessons you and he have had. He says you are very smart, and he likes the way you've helped steer his instruction. Thanks again.